I Know It Is Hard When You Are Just Getting Started, But Please Make Your Pricing Page Public

19 Aug 2016

I received an email from Stoplight.io about their version updates, which included the phasing out of the free beta period--makes sense. I clicked on the "you can view pricing, and setup billing, on your account billing page" in the email, and was taken to the register page.

To clarify a little bit, I have an account with Stoplight.io, which I registered using my @kinlane Github account. I'm logged in as my @apievangelist Github account presently as I'm doing some work with multiple repos, and I really didn't want to log out of @apievangelist and log in with my @kinlane just to see the pricing.

So I head directly to the public website of Stoplight.io to look for pricing--which I can't find within 30 seconds (standard approach). When this happens I will then Google for the [API name] + "pricing"--nothing. Ultimately I did log with my @kinlane Github so that I can see the pricing because I genuinely want to keep my account, as Stoplight.io made it into the highly useful tool category for my world.

I just wanted to articulate the friction I experienced, so Stoplight.io can consider, but also so that the rest of you can consider. My preference is that you always make your pricing page public. I understand that this is difficult for startups that are just getting going, are in beta phase, etc., but I feel like in 2016 it should be the default practice for API providers, as well as service providers.

Even if your service is in beta, and you aren't charging for it yet, you should have a dedicated page to explaining this, and keep it updated as you evolve. Please do not make me log in just to review your service, understand what it does, and find your pricing. This is bad for helping analysts like me understand what you are up to (no I don't want a briefing), and is bad for your customers who are trying to understand where their accounts stand, and whether we can afford to move forward.